Components and Design
NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller Review - Cases and Cooling 13

The NZXT Sentry LX fan controller is designed to fit into two spare 5.25” drive bays.  The brushed aluminum, black anodized front panel looks great and really sets off the large LCD display.  The text and graphics are quite easy to read even from a distance.

NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller Review - Cases and Cooling 14

Moving around to the back of the Sentry LX you can see that all the cables come pre-attached.  They measure approximately 26” long and include:

•    (5) Temperature probes
•    (5) Fan cables fitted with 3-pin connectors
•    Power cable with male and female 4-pin Molex connector

NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller Review - Cases and Cooling 15

The main circuit board draws power from the PC during operation and uses a 3V Lithium battery (CR2032) to retain settings in memory.

NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller Review - Cases and Cooling 16

The Sentry LX comes with five temperature probes connected to the main circuit board along with two spares.  The temperature probes are thin so attaching them to flat surfaces should be relatively easy with the included thermal tape.  The actual placement is left up to each end user but one basic scenario might be:

•    CPU temperature
•    GPU temperature
•    HDD temperature
•    Internal case air temperature #1
•    Internal case air temperature #2

The Sentry LX incorporates five separate channels for controlling and monitoring fan speed.  Each channel has a dedicated cable fitted with a 3-pin fan connector (which includes the rpm sense line).  No 3-pin to 4-pin adapters are included and the unit does not support PWM fans.

Note: More than one fan can be connected to a channel as long as the total current draw per channel does not exceed 0.33A (4W).  However, when two or more fans are connected in parallel, only one of them can send the speed signal.


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